今天你要衡量些什么?

What Will You Measure Today?

Every day presents us each a host of choices, although they are often buried beneath a mountain of habits, tasks,errands,interruptions, and deadlines.

每一天，我们每个人面前都摆着很多选择，但它们经常被一大堆习惯、任务、差使、干扰和一个又一个的截止日期所湮没。

errand[’er(ə)nd]n. 使命;差事;差使

Just because each day’s choices may not be obvious doesn’t mean they’re not there. The pace of life is so caffeine-laced, that we tend to overlook a lot of important things.

原因就是这些散布在每一天的选择可能不是那么显眼，不过这不意味着它们就不存在。如今的生活节奏里弥漫着咖啡因，以至于让我们忽略掉很多重要的事情。

Really successful people develop a discipline for regularly stepping back from the hustle bustle, reflecting on what’s important, and then setting and adjusting priorities. That includes focusing on choices about what’s worth measuring and what’s not.

真正的成功者会养成一种自律，定期从各种纷忙杂乱中抽身，回头检视什么才是最重要的事，并据此确定和调整自己的优先度。这其中包括让思想聚焦，选出哪些事物值得衡量，哪些不值。

hustle [’hʌs(ə)l]vt. 催促;猛推;强夺 vi. 赶紧;硬挤过去;拼命挣钱 n. 推;奔忙;拥挤喧嚷

bustle [’bʌs(ə)l]vi. 喧闹;忙乱;充满 vt. 使忙碌;催促 n. 喧闹;活跃;裙撑;热闹的活动

Options about what to measure are almost limitless: we can measure our physical weight, the change in the value of our assets, the length of time we slept last night, the value of contracts we signed, the number of words we wrote, the return on our investment, calories burned at the gym, progress towards our KPIs at work, our waist size, and so on.

可以选来衡量的事项几乎无所不包，比如体重、个人资产的变化、昨晚睡觉的时间、所签合同的价值、写作的字数、投资的回报、健身消耗掉的卡路里、KPI的完成进度、腰围等等。

investment [ɪn’ves(t)m(ə)nt]n. 投资;投入;封锁

Very few people are in the habit of asking themselves each morning “What will I measure today? ” That’s a missed opportunity, like failing to look at the compass or GPS while navigating a vehicle.

很少有人会习惯于每天早晨都问自己一遍“今天我要衡量什么”，其实他们错过了一个机会，就像开车没有看指南针或GPS导航一样。

Many people measure their own self-worth primarily based on external achievements, such as test scores, sales results, job appraisals, degrees earned, salary increases, etc.

很多人对自我价值的衡量主要是基于外在的成就，比如考试得分、销售业绩、工作考评、学历证书、工资增长等等。

I’m not saying these things are not important. They are very important in our studies and careers, but they are an incomplete framework for measuring overall success in life, or for maintaining self-esteem. We sometimes forget that self-confidence is like gasoline in the fuel tank. It requires topping up on a regular basis.

我并不是说这些就不重要。在求学和工作中，这些都非常重要，但用它们来衡量人生的整体成功或保持自尊是不全面的。有时我们忘记了，自信就像油箱里的汽油，需要定期加满。

What about also measuring our self-worth by the kind of person we are, as demonstrated by the kindness and consideration we show to our neighbors, colleagues, friends and family members? Did we surprise someone with unexpected kindness today? That’s cause for pause, and quiet celebration.

那么，能不能用为人来衡量自我价值呢?看看我们能对邻居、同事、朋友、家人展现多少善意，花费多少心思?我们今天是不是以出乎意料的善意关怀给某人带来了惊喜?这些都值得我们停下来，并悄悄庆祝一番。